A joint study has shown a discrepancy between fasting glucose of men and women, based on a poor diet and excessive television viewing. The study was published in Preventative Medicine.

Over 9,600 men and women were evaluated for 1 year based on their quality of diet and television viewing time. These factors were analyzed to determine the AGM, which is an impaired fasting glucose, based on their food quality consumption and television viewing time.

The diet quality was measured as high, medium, or low, The television viewing time was either low (equal to or less than 14 hours per week) or high (more than 14 hours per week).

Diet quality and television viewing time were significantly associated with poorer fasting glucose in women, despite the obvious factors like BMI and waist circumference. Somehow, this correlation was not seen in men.

Compared to women with high diet quality/low television viewing time, women with low diet quality/low television viewing time and women with low diet quality/high television viewing time were significantly more likely to have higher fasting glucose.

Both, a poor quality diet and prolonged television viewing, should be observed to control the fasting glucose in women. However, researchers need to further investigate risk factors in men to better understand how to control the risk of T2D.

Women got the short end of the stick in this study because men don’t seem to show excessive television watching and poor diet choices like women. Could this have any relevance to the muscle to fat ratio of men vs. women?